Magna Carta: Cornerstone of Liberty Across the Centuries
June 15 marked a pivotal date in the annals of liberty: the anniversary of the Magna Carta’s signing at Runnymede, England. Over 800 years ago, this “Great Charter” enshrined liberties so essential that the noblemen who drafted it placed them beyond the reach of the...
The Pilgrim Code of 1636: English Charter, Christian Covenant, and Modern Constitution
“As freeborn subjects of the state of England, we hither came endowed with all and singular the privileges belonging to such, in the first place we think good that it be established … due privileges of the subject aforesaid, no imposition, law, or ordinance be made or...
The Petition of Right: Essential Part of American History
On June 7, 1628 the Petition of Right was ratified by the British Crown in the days preceding the English Civil War. The measure was passed by the Parliament in May and sent to Charles I for his assent, the royal approbation that endowed the writ with force of law. Of...